WEST VIRGINIA CODE

WVC 51 - 2 A- 3
§51-2A-3. Number of family court judges; assignment of family court
judges by family court circuits.

(a) Beginning on January 1, 2009, forty-five family court
judges shall serve throughout the state, allocated among a total of
twenty-seven family court circuits as follows:

(1) The counties of Brooke, Hancock and Ohio shall constitute
the first family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(2) The counties of Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler shall
constitute the second family court circuit and have one family
court judge;

(3) The counties of Pleasants and Wood shall constitute the
third family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(4) The counties of Roane, Calhoun, Gilmer and Ritchie shall
constitute the fourth family court circuit and have one family
court judge;

(5) The counties of Mason, Jackson and Wirt shall constitute
the fifth family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(6) The county of Cabell shall constitute the sixth family
court circuit and have two family court judges;

(7) The county of Wayne shall constitute the seventh family
court circuit and have one family court judge;

(8) The county of Mingo shall constitute the eighth family
court circuit and have one family court judge;

(9) The county of Logan shall constitute the ninth family
court circuit and have two family court judges;

(10) The counties of Lincoln and Boone shall constitute the
tenth family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(11) The county of Kanawha shall constitute the eleventh
family court circuit and have five family court judges;

(12) The counties of McDowell and Mercer shall constitute the
twelfth family court circuit and have three family court judges;

(13) The counties of Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming shall
constitute the thirteenth family court circuit and have three
family court judges;

(14) The county of Fayette shall constitute the fourteenth
family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(15) The counties of Greenbrier and Monroe shall constitute
the fifteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(16) The counties of Clay and Nicholas shall constitute the
sixteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(17) The counties of Braxton, Lewis and Upshur shall
constitute the seventeenth family court circuit and have one family
court judge;

(18) The counties of Harrison and Doddridge shall constitute
the eighteenth family court circuit and have two family court
judges;

(19) The county of Marion shall constitute the nineteenth
family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(20) The counties of Monongalia and Preston shall constitute
the twentieth family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(21) The counties of Barbour and Taylor shall constitute the
twenty-first family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(22) The counties of Tucker and Randolph shall constitute the
twenty-second family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(23) The counties of Mineral, Hampshire and Morgan shall
constitute the twenty-third family court circuit and have one
family court judge;

(24) The counties of Berkeley and Jefferson shall constitute
the twenty-fourth family court circuit and have three family court
judges;

(25) The counties of Hardy, Pendleton and Grant shall
constitute the twenty-fifth family court circuit and have one
family court judge;

(26) The county of Putnam shall constitute the twenty-sixth
family court circuit and have one family court judge; and

(27) The counties of Webster and Pocahontas shall constitute
the twenty-seventh family court circuit and have one family court
judge.

(b) Beginning on January 1, 2017, forty-seven family court
judges shall serve throughout the state, allocated among a total of
twenty-seven family court circuits as follows:

(1) The counties of Brooke, Hancock and Ohio shall constitute
the first family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(2) The counties of Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler shall constitute the second family court circuit and have one family
court judge;

(3) The counties of Pleasants and Wood shall constitute the
third family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(4) The counties of Roane, Calhoun, Gilmer and Ritchie shall
constitute the fourth family court circuit and have one family
court judge;

(5) The counties of Mason, Jackson and Wirt shall constitute
the fifth family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(6) The county of Cabell shall constitute the sixth family
court circuit and have three family court judges;

(7) The county of Wayne shall constitute the seventh family
court circuit and have one family court judge;

(8) The county of Mingo shall constitute the eighth family
court circuit and have one family court judge;

(9) The county of Logan shall constitute the ninth family
court circuit and have two family court judges;

(10) The counties of Lincoln and Boone shall constitute the
tenth family court circuit and have two family court judges;

(11) The county of Kanawha shall constitute the eleventh
family court circuit and have five family court judges;

(12) The counties of McDowell and Mercer shall constitute the
twelfth family court circuit and have three family court judges;

(13) The counties of Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming shall
constitute the thirteenth family court circuit and have three family court judges;

(14) The county of Fayette shall constitute the fourteenth
family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(15) The counties of Greenbrier and Monroe shall constitute
the fifteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(16) The counties of Clay and Nicholas shall constitute the
sixteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(17) The counties of Braxton, Lewis and Upshur shall
constitute the seventeenth family court circuit and have one family
court judge;

(18) The counties of Harrison and Doddridge shall constitute
the eighteenth family court circuit and have two family court
judges;

(19) The county of Marion shall constitute the nineteenth
family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(20) The counties of Monongalia and Preston shall constitute
the twentieth family court circuit and have two family court
judges;

(21) The counties of Barbour and Taylor shall constitute the
twenty-first family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(22) The counties of Tucker and Randolph shall constitute the
twenty-second family court circuit and have one family court judge;

(23) The counties of Mineral, Hampshire and Morgan shall
constitute the twenty-third family court circuit and have two
family court judges;

(24) The counties of Berkeley and Jefferson shall constitute
the twenty-fourth family court circuit and have three family court
judges;

(25) The counties of Hardy, Pendleton and Grant shall
constitute the twenty-fifth family court circuit and have one
family court judge;

(26) The county of Putnam shall constitute the twenty-sixth
family court circuit and have one family court judge; and

(27) The counties of Webster and Pocahontas shall constitute
the twenty-seventh family court circuit and have one family court
judge.

(c) Family court judges taking office January 1, 2017, shall
be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) occurring in the
year 2016 and shall serve for a term of eight years.

(d) The Legislature has the authority and may determine to
realign the family court circuits and has the authority and may
determine to increase or decrease the number of family court judges
within a family court circuit, from time to time. Any person
appointed or elected to the office of family court judge
acknowledges the authority of the Legislature to realign family
court circuits and the authority of the Legislature to increase or
decrease the number of family court judges within a family court
circuit.

Note: WV Code updated with legislation passed through the 2016 Regular Session
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